For my 34th Birthday this year I decided to celebrate with four friends over a steak dinner at Spencers. Â All of us have spent years of our careers working in the food and beverage industry.
Having dined at other Prime-steak restaurants in town (including those of which are located directly next door to Spencers which, for whatever reason, are among the most successful in the world) Spencers steak house is our favorite! Â It has an old school charm that doesn't scream out corporate, passionless restaurant-ry.
Reservations were quick and simple. Â Apon arrival we were seated graciously and protmly without any awkward corporate robot-ry, which is a major feel of other restaurants as those like the one above-mentioned (very refreshing).
Our server (Jake) read our needs well, was extremely attentive, and guided us through a wonderful dining experience. Â His presence and personality deserve five stars without the food aspect involved at all.
The food was exactly how each of us expected from a prime-cut steak house. Â It's so refreshing to enjoy a steak without a robot server reciting back a script coming down from corporate without being drenched in sizling hot butter (prime steaks don't need that!). Â On the table, we enjoyed both a bone-in ribeye and New York steak and two different filets (one on it's own, and another oscar style). Â All wonderful! Â We shared three, light sides that went down wonderfully. Â Apparently Spencers is now making their own ice creams- we had the peanut butter, and had to have more than what we originally ordered- it was ridiculously delicious....if you are going to eat here you must take your servers recommendations to order this with the chocolate cake (thanks Jake).
Overall, Spencers steak house is exactly where anyone who isn't interested in drinking 25 diet cokes with free refills over fresh ice should dine for a unique experience with a delicious steak in Utah (Salt Lake City specifically). Â We brought our own wine in and were treated graciously even though we didn't order from the wine list, although the wine list from Spencers is wonderful for those seeking to pay the mark-up.
We loved our dinner. Â Thank you for creating a great experience for me and my friends for my Birthday.
In all fairness, I am not a lover of steakhouses...
That said, this one was ok as far as steak houses go. Usually I enjoy the side dishes better and this time was no different. The mac and cheese was probably the best I've ever had. Every thing else was just ok. Steak was cooked well, but I'm not a huge steak person.
Service was good but when asking for recommendations, the waiter basically recommended the whole menu. I thought it was pretty funny but it wasn't super helpful.
The atmosphere is very old school "steakhouse-y" (new word). Dark wood and dark interior.
Desserts were pretty fantastic but you could seriously share one with 4 people
I stay at the Hilton several times a month and this is the obvious easy place to eat.  The Spencer's Salad and Sandwiches are always great.  I have not tried  steak, as they are over my travel budget.
Unless you sit at the bar, the service just sucks. Â HIRE SOME MORE WAITRESSES. Â I honestly think there was one lady trying to serve the entire place. Â I felt bad for her as she was doing her best, but for the $ of this place, its quite unnacceptalble.
When I am paying up to $62 for a steak and plopping down serious money for wine I expect capable service. Â The waiter and the sommelier acted as if they were pouring wine for the first time. Â I mean how difficult is it to simply turn a wrist to avoid drips. Â Wine was dripped and even spilled. Â Service was slow. Â The steaks were very good. Â THEN I get the bill and 20% is automatically added to the check. Â This on a table for 6!!! Â The waiter did not even give me a heads up that service was included. Â Thank god I noticed because the final sign off check even had an open line for "Tip". Â My tip is to avoid this overpriced, underserviced restaurant.
Review Source:I have to get this off my chest about this place. I was staying at the Hilton and went into the lounge for a glass of wine before a friend picked me up. It's winter and I have a Patagonia jacket on. The hostess tells me that I cannot take my drink outside, which seemed like s bizarre comment, but I blew it off. So I have to walk up to get served, when there are 3 people in there. Wine is not cheap at $10 a glass. The bartender says "you can't take thus outside." ok, so, odd, but I try to make a joke out of it. Explain I am waiting for someone. After I pay, I pick up my wine and head over to a table near the door and the bartender says again loudly "you can't take that outside!" WTF is this madness? Who takes their wine outside and in winter nonetheless???? I was appalled. He never apologized and hid in the back. This Hilton lost my business for good.
Review Source:Somehow they couldn't get the steaks right....MR came out well done to start with and then practically raw... Is there a problem here? Once mentioned they took all the food off the check very pleasantly which leads me to think there is a kitchen  issue...
Maybe just this weekend? Hmmmm....
Also ended up doing our own wine service.... Another hmmm
..
I've only dined with Spencner's ONCE, so this review is based on that sole experience.
It was GREAT! I think the ambiance here is is perfect, dark, intimate steakhouse cool. The service was perfect, with our waiter making some great wine, appetizer and entreee recommendations. My steak was a great Prime cut and was cooked perfectly. The sides were unique and delicious, rather than the typical roasted veggies and baked potats. Everyone in our party of 6 was pleased with the meal and the overall experience. We all left feeling fat and happy.
Went here for the fist time for Christmas eve dinner.  The inside looks one step better then a sizzler.  I hate the country seats and the colors but i love the dark woods.  Crab cake appetizer were weak with three little bigger  then a a quarter size, really? Calamari is awesome.  My pork chop was bland and kinda dry.  My mom said the same about her filet.  Bf liked his ahi.  Sides were ok, nothing great.  Not worth the price.  3 of us with drinks and tip $300.  Do yourself a favor and walk over to ruth's.
Review Source:Was ok went there for desert as we were staying at the Hilton. Â First impression was5 stars the hostess seated us and was very pleasant. Again we were just there for desert and we let her know that.
Our server finally shows up almost annoyed that we only ordered desert. Â To the tune of $30. Not a cheap desert at that. We ordered 2 pieces of cheese cake and a creme bruile. The deserts were amazing when we finally got them. Â Want to go bck and try the steak.
That was until the total lack of service from our waitress was a real let down. Couple that with two waiters fighting about a tip at the hostess station which we clearly overheard makes me wonder what the service ordering a $100+ dinner would be like?????
Dined here for dinner for the first time. Â Our experience was similar to others. Â We were sat at a semi-circular booth. Â Just the two of us. Â That was no problem but the cushion was so soft that I felt like a child sitting at a table. Â You know, the edge of the table came up to just below my chest. Â I would have asked to be moved to anything but a booth but my partner was satisfied with the seat so we stayed.
The food was very good.  I had the lobster bisque to start (excellent) and partner had the french onion soup (salty but what onion soup isn't?).  I had the bone-in ribeye and it didn't disappoint.  He had the ribeye (no bone) and said it was quite good.  We shared sautéed spinach (hard to make badly).  No room for dessert so can't comment.
Service was fair. Â Actually, there was a total lack of enthusiasm from our server. Â We felt like she was just going through the motions, and she probably was. Â No smile, no advice, no personality. Â Nothing.
It was expensive but that wasn't a surprise. Â I'd go back for a very special occasion but it isn't a place I'd ever want to dine at frequently.
I went back last week for my favorite steak and frites. Although everything was still delicious things have changed, especially for my pocketbook. Their steak and frites is now the Spencer steak with blue cheese on top at a cost of $34 instead of the $24. I'm not the biggest blue cheese fan but I went with it anyway to try something new. Very good but I still preferred the original without blue cheese. Others also thought the same. When a steak is good you really don't need the extras.
Sadly with the new price hike and changes I probably won't be going back any time soon. I guess I could always try something else from the menu. I still gets 4 stars since it's still delicious.
One of the best "upscale" steakhouse I have been to, period. I have been here many times and have never been disappointed.
The Cowboy Strip is my favorite - always prepared perfectly. The sides, although expensive, are huge and very tasty. The table service is impeccable, the wine list is extensive with many excellent selections available.
I would go 6 stars if you would let me - my next reservation is already booked!!!
I hate to leave a negative review for this place, but I was not especially impressed.
Unfortunately, the menu on the website is incorrect and outdated. I had been hoping to order a prime rib, which was advertised on the menu, but upon arriving at the restaurant, we found that there was no prime rib on the menu, the selections were more limited across the board, there were no specials that night, and all the prices were higher than advertised. Â My husband and I had a Saturday, 8:00pm reservation and we were the only patrons in the entire restaurant for the first 45 minutes.
We both ordered the aged bone-in ribeye ($54), French onion soup, 2 sides ($9 each), and dessert. The onion soup was delicious and the portion ample for an appetizer. The sides (mashed potatoes and creamed spinach) were mediocre and tasteless. My husband really enjoyed his steak, but mine was so fibrous that I had to take half of it home to tackle. If he had not enjoyed his cut so much, I would have sent mine back. For dessert I ordered the raspberry sorbet ($6 for 1 scoop) and my husband ordered the cheesecake.
The service was passable. We had a new waiter and he was nice and pleasant. But even with only us to serve, he seemed confused and unsure of himself. When a second couple came in, he had to call the manager to assist him.
I really expect better from a higher end steak restaurant and have had a more positive impression at literally every other one I have been to. I am not sure how Spencer's manages to remain in business.
For this money, obviously, you expect something special. Spencer's delivers. Their service is friendly and forgiving. Â We brought a group of approximately 30, about 20 more than they were told to expect. Yet they accommodated us with aplomb.
Of particular note, the risotto, hash browns, and mac & cheese were excellent.
The Cowboy chop was among the best steaks I've had.
Enjoy!
I've been going to Spenser's for years. They have always had great steaks, and still do. Â However the quality of the salads, the side dishes and the steak toppings (Oscar style, blue cheese, mushrooms, etc.) had really gone down hill in recent years. Â It's as if they decided they could get by without a real chef because they knew how to do steak. And to some extent I guess that is true, but at this price point ($300 for three of us) you really expect everything to be top notch, and except for the steaks, thats really not true anymore.
Review Source:I dined here while staying at the Hilton and was less than impressed.  I am a fan of high end steakhouses and while they are pricey, I expect to get what I pay for.  In this case, the "highly recommended ribeye" was so fatty I couldn't get through it and a lot went to waste.  The mashed potatoes were lumpy and flavorless.  The only way to describe the sautéed mushrooms was to say they taste the way you expect feet to smell. Â
I was in shortly after opening so it was not busy. Â I had the pleasure of sitting close enough to the hostess stand that I got to listen to their conversations for the time I was there, including when the manager came up to discuss who would be cut first since it was likely going to be a slow night. Â Based on the service and food, I'm surprised they ever have a night that isn't slow.
I will not be back.
Reco: okay, but dont wait to come in
Ambiance: 4- very nice, comfortable
Food: 3
Crab cakes too rich - couldn't finish it
Too rich for loaded hasth browns
fries were average- a little bit limp
steaks were cooked very well though
Price:2
Expensiveeee
Service : 2
this guy took FOREVER. to do anything. food was quite a long wait. it took us over 2 hours to eat when really we shoudl've been out of there under an hour.
Visiting SLC from Houston. Â Houston has many great steak places, so I know a good steak when I meat one. (pun intended)
Service was friendly, but really REALLY slow. I don't know if they were understaffed in the kitchen or what, but they really didn't seem to be on their game. Â Food was fair. Â Steak was above average, but not super. Â For the price & reviews I was expecting much more.
The only reason I'm giving it a star is because the bartender Mark deserves an a+! Â The rest of the experience was below horrible! Â RAW shrimp cocktail...RAW!!! NASTY grease swimming "famous" Mac and cheese. Â Oozing oil!! Â We ordered a steak medium well and it came bloody rare!!! Â When we had to ask to have it cooked longer it came back so hard we could of played hockey with it!!!
Service at the bar is good, However... If you try to enjoy a meal at a table expect the most horrible SLOW service ever! Â We had to walk to the bar (how we met Mark), to refill our drinks!!! Â You should never beat your waiter to refill your drink. Â Not once did we have a drink refilled here on our own. Â Always by the bar! Â You'd think when you are making them money by ordering beer, they would pay more attention to your empty glass!
Try eating OUT of the hotel!!!
Great restaurant if you use it for what it is trying to be: a steak house. Â Order steak here. You will not be disappointed. If you order other items, you may not be overly happy. Just order steak; any steak. It is great.
Shut your eyes to the cost of the items. Heck, skip the side items. The sides are not really that great, but the steaks are incredible. Perfectly cooked, flavorful, tender. Salads, breads, all just find but again these things are just not very memorable. But did I mention the steak?
A nice atmosphere here too. Comfortable, dark, somewhat private. Probably not a place to come in jeans and tennis shoes, though. Maybe on Saturdays that would pass.
Great service. Well timed between courses, professional, and knowledgeable.
Steve G from SLC, Utah must be high rating Spencer's with 1 star.... Either that or Apple-bee's must be his idea of a good steak....
I travel the US for work and eat at many high end steakhouses & I must say that whether you are in Omaha, Spokane or SLC you can always count on great service, outstanding streaks, and mouthwatering sides. The wine list is extensive & the full service bar is wonderful... In fact, if I could get away with eating here each time I want a steak, I would.
Go get some now!!!
**Expensive** Â The steaks, chicken, chops, salmon and alaskan king crab legs are incredible.
I have eaten at Spencer's at least 100 times since I stayed in the Hilton SLC City Center a minimum of 300 nights. I have earned a plaque with a steak knife and my name on the wall of the restaurant.
We hit Spencer's because we were tired after a day at Snowbird, and we didn't feel like leaving the hotel. Â We were staying in the Hilton...
The highlight of our meal was the French Onion soup and Spencer's Loaded Hash Browns. Â We also ordered the Kansas CIty Strip and Mac & Cheese. Â Both were mediocre. Â I've had better steaks at Applebees. Â
If you're at the  Hilton, tired, and feel like blowing money on so so food, give Spencer's a shot.
Normal high-end steak house prices, really good service. I ordered the Seared Ahi, lacked any taste, i had to request some wasabi so that I could some flavor to it. Some people in my group had the steak, and did like their filet's.
They didn't have the bison on the menu when I went, they said the quality that they had been getting wasn't up to snuff and they were waiting until spring to put it back on the menu.
Spencer's is expensive. Especially if you order the aged beef that is off-menu. That said, you should absolutely order the aged beef. If you are going to order a $35 good steak, you should pony up the $60 for a great steak like the bone-in ribeye. And I do mean fantastic.
The wait staff was knowledgeable and courteous - even when we had a hiccup in our order, they corrected it immediately. The atmosphere is dark and intimate. It's a perfect place for a special occasion or business dinner.
Gold mine in Salt Lake...... Â Listen up folks..... Â If you want a real steakhouse experience, then this is the place to go. Â I travel for work and I was also there for the Olympics (2002) and everyone I took there loved the place. Â I've been there recently and the taste and service are the same. Â WOW is all I have to say. Destination #1 for Salt Lake.
Get the bone in ribeye, or ask if they have the Bison ribeye......
Enjoy!!!
Since I was staying at the Hilton hotel and didn't want to walk far, I went here for lunch. I ended up ordering the ribeye steak, which all the waiters recommended. When the steak arrived, it was cooked a little rare then I had it redone and it looked better. However the steak was okay, it wasn't a wow. However, the waiter was really nice. I really enjoyed the ambiance.
Review Source:We went here last night for dinner. The restaurant is located inside the Hilton hotel near the convention center. The hostess recommended I use valet parking and that is what we did. The restaurant can also validate for the garage but it is only for five hours whereas the valet parking validation is for all night. The hostess told us that the valet staff left at 10 PM but they were still there well after that time and we had no issues with parking.
When you enter the restaurant from the outside entrance (near valet parking) you have to pass through a small room used by smokers when it is cold outside, so if you are truly averse to smoke, be sure enter the restaurant through the lobby instead to avoid the smell and the smoke. After a short few steps through the lobby hallway and into the restaurant you arrive at the bar and greeting area. The hostess station is located right next to the bar so you can wait there if you do not have a reservation or your table is not ready. They had several TVs on and were showing a hockey game and a baseball game at the time. It only took two or three quick minutes for us to be seated. After being seated at a booth I was able to take in the ambiance which connotes a feeling of traditional steak house service. The walls are all dark wood, the lighting is done by small lamps center table, and spot lamps which are turned way down. If you go from daylight it will take a moment for your eyes to adjust to the low light. The wait staff wear classic white coats which is a nice touch and something I like. There was no music playing that I could hear in our area. Some of the tables have windows that face into the Hilton hotel but I think people cannot really see in much.
Our waiter was a nice fellow. He really tried to push the specials which were considerably more expensive than the menu items. As an example, one of the beef dish specials was $63. Our bus boy spoke in broken English and was a bit hard to understand but it was not really an issue for the evening. Spencer's seems to really push the idea that they are an elite steak house. While I think their food is good anfd the atmosphere was inviting I'm not certain they are to the Morton's or Capital Grille level just yet, as much as they might try. The waiter indicated they were one of only a handful of steak houses that serve prime beef west of the Mississippi River which seems a bit off to me as I am no stranger to steak houses.
We ordered Calamari and salads as appetizers. The calamari was light and not too greasy. The dipping sauce for the calamari was very hot (temperature) and seemed to be some version of a marinara sauce. It was good enough. The salads were large enough. The Spinach with Spiced Pecans & Danish Bleu looked and tasted much better than my Spencer's salad. The lettuce was fresh and there were few lettuce "spines" in the serving.
For entrees we both ended up with the filet mignon cooked medium. Both of our steaks were cooked very well and the cut had very little fat on it. Everything is ordered À la carte which adds to the cost of the meal. For side dishes we had mash potatoes and asparagus. The mash potatoes had lots of butter in it but not to the point of overwhelming the potatoes. The asparagus stalks were large and well cooked. The meal turned out pretty good for the evening and we were satisfied.
We ended up skipping desert both because we were full and we did not want to be late for our event later in the evening. There is a large selection of wines available the most expensive being a Chateau Margaux, at least that I noticed. Â I think if I go back I'll try the bone-in ribeye steak next time.
Here is the bottom line, Spencer's is expensive, bordering on over priced, but the food is good.
EXPENSIVE! EXPENSIVE! EXPENSIVE!  but the food was worth the price.  My prime rib was just magically delicious as well as my  BF's New York Steak.  My BF also ordered their onion soup which I recommend but man was the steaks delicious.  The decor is like a godfather setting ( dim) and had flat screen tv all over the place.  They also had plaques on the backboard of our seats of patrons that donated to the place or just loved the place so much they figure having a spencer monument on their gravesite won't be so bad.
Review Source:What's with the three-star ratings? If you want steak in Utah, you go to Spencer's. End of story.
The staff is highly experienced and continually training/learning about the latest wines, which is very refreshing in Utah. The servers and chefs are always aiming to please, and I've never tried a dish I didn't like. Coming here on holidays (i.e. Thanksgiving) is especially enjoyable, as you meet a really eclectic assortment of peopple.
Updated 04.16.08
Had occasion to dine here again and the meal was pretty good, confirming it's 3-star rating. I had the Spencer steak and my dinner guests and I shared several sides (again, the creamed spinach was the better side). If you are going to have wine, do ask for Louie, the sommelier. They have a decent size wine list and Louie was most helpful in selecting a couple of gems, including the 2001 Rosemount Estates Balmoral Syrah. It had been a while since I had a Balmoral, and his suggestion of this wine was an absolute perfect match for our meal.
---
In SLC on business, I tried out this steakhouse with my business companions. It is located inside a hotel, but that was not a problem. Spencer's has that typical dark, rich wood seats and interior that a lot of steakhouses seem to have - but nonetheless, it was very nice. The staff were attentive though our entrees took entirely too long to come out. I started out with a basic salad and ordered the NY strip steak (medium well). Why the slab o' meat was cooked perfectly, it could have been seasoned more. We shared a couple sides - creamed spinach, broccoli, and sauteed mushrooms - with the spinach being the clear winner. Not too bad, but not outstanding either.
The 5 best restaurants in the 2015 Denver Restaurant Week
3,611 Views | Category: Denver
The complete list of 2015 Denver Restaurant Week businesses
1,972 Views | Category: Denver
The tourists' guide to Portillos: 5 must have dishes
3,318 Views | Category: Chicago
Pho = Pronounced "fuh" not "foe" for pho-king sake
2,915 Views | Category: Denver
Indulgery selected to exhibit at Collision Conference
2,987 Views | Category: Press Releases
Not Logged In
BUSINESSES
Local Businesses
Near Me
My Favorites
SOCIAL
Blog & News
MY ACCOUNT
Login
Register
Contact Us
Add Your Business
